Subject: MUST READ: Roll Call opinion: Rep. Tim Ryan: “Progressives Are Ready for Hillary”
From: Burns Strider <[email-masked]>
To: CTRFriendsFamily <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2015 10:12:34 -0500
List-Id: <CTRFriendsFamily.americanbridge.org>

*Roll Call opinion: Rep. Tim Ryan: “Progressives Are Ready for Hillary”
<http://www.rollcall.com/news/progressives_are_ready_for_hillary_commentary-239087-1.html>*

By Rep. Tim Ryan

January 8, 2015, 5:00 a.m. EST

The progressive values and policies that Hillary Rodham Clinton represents
have Democrats and Americans across the country more excited than ever. But
lately, pundits and some in the media have attempted to drive a narrative
that the progressive wing of the Democratic Party is not unified behind
Hillary. As a progressive myself, and one who proudly hails from the
ultimate battleground state of Ohio, this could not be further from the
truth. Clinton’s record speaks for itself.

Progressives support Clinton because of her experience and leadership on
many of the issues that matter most. In Arkansas, she expanded childhood
education throughout the state. As first lady, she worked to increase
access to health care for every American. As a senator, she repeatedly
fought to increase the minimum wage and extend unemployment benefits. While
secretary of State, she worked to empower women and expand LGBT rights and
more recently, through the Clinton Foundation, she has developed
initiatives to help children and low-income families.

Simply put, Clinton understands the importance of investing in the
fundamental building blocks that make America the envy of the world.

As an economic populist, protecting and growing our economy while putting
Ohioans back to work is a consistent priority of mine. Being progressive is
about assuring the safety of our citizens and our economy with a strong
manufacturing base, both old-line manufacturing and the newer fields of
advanced and additive manufacturing. I believe we can achieve this by
re-establishing the United States of America as the world’s leading
innovator in advanced manufacturing — with my district’s national additive
manufacturing and 3-D printing facility and through the No. 1 ranked
university incubator in the world — both right here in Youngstown, Ohio.
These types of ideas and innovation are happening in places such as
Youngstown largely thanks to a long-term vision for our nation and
public-private partnerships, something Clinton has spent a lifetime forging
as a first lady, senator and secretary of State.

I know that Hillary Rodham Clinton shares these same progressive and
American values. Throughout her career, she has consistently worked to
advance middle-class families, ensuring that Ohioans and all Americans can
make more money and have the means to support their families.

Democrats have unified behind Clinton in an unprecedented way, in part,
because of her advocacy on these core progressive policies that ensure
everyone has a fair shot at success. From the people who know her best and
for those like me who have fought alongside her to ensure that everyone has
access to the American Dream, there is no question that Clinton has the
message and vision — and will have the agenda — to be the Democratic
Party’s standard bearer to lead America on the world stage.

I am ready for Hillary. Should she run for president, she would be the best
person to lead our country forward. I believe her progressive and American
values can lift up all Americans and I know the people of Ohio stand ready
to assist her should she decide to run.